Arsenal defeated Chelsea via a first half goal from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to secure a consecutive Community Shield title over their bitter London rivals.

LONDON -- Three thoughts from Arsenal's 1-0 win vs. Chelsea in the FA Community Shield.

1. Arsenal win to end Wenger's Mourinho hoodoo

The Community Shield is only a semi-competitive game -- it's not quite a pre-season friendly but not truly a major trophy. Nevertheless, both teams were determined to win this contest, especially with no love lost between the two managers Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho, and the atmosphere on a gloriously sunny afternoon at Wembley was fantastic.

Arsenal defeated Chelsea via a first half goal from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to secure a consecutive Community Shield title over their bitter London rivals.

Petr Cech enjoyed the satisfaction of a Wembley victory over his former club as Arsenal saw off Chelsea 1-0 on Sunday to land the 2015-16 Community Shield.

The win completes a preseason treble for the Gunners, who also lifted the Asia Trophy and the Emirates Cup. It seems that winning is a habit after all.

It was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who scored the crucial goal, collecting a pass from Theo Walcott before cutting inside to fire a shot into the top corner with his weaker left foot. Oxlade-Chamberlain...

ESPN FC's Steve Nicol insists that the Community Shield showdown between Arsenal and Chelsea will be an important match, particularly for the two managers, but as usual, Craig disagrees.

The Community Shield may be the Premier League's curtain-raiser, but Jose Mourinho wasn't all that interested in further raising the profile of the match, as his Chelsea champions prepare to face the FA Cup holders Arsenal on Sunday.

"I think it's in between," the Portuguese manager said in his Friday news conference, referencing the warmup games of the last few weeks. "It's not a friendly like against Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal against Wolfsburg. It's more than that, but it's less...

Arsene Wenger is fully focussed on Arsenal's Community Shield clash with Chelsea on Sunday.

Arsene Wenger is fully focussed on Arsenal's Community Shield clash with Chelsea on Sunday.

When Theo Walcott signed his last Arsenal contract in 2013, he was in a position of power.

Robin van Persie had left the previous summer to Manchester United. The season before that, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri went to Barcelona and Manchester City, respectively. Walcott was the last star on the books -- he knew it and Arsenal knew it, so his departure was simply not an option for the club.

Walcott held out until January, when he could have signed for any European club on a fee, then put pen to...

The ESPN FC crew debate which side has the best defence in football, if Arsenal are done spending and more.

The Premier League returns next week and to get us in the mood, it's Arsenal vs. Chelsea in the Community Shield on Sunday. It's a chance to lay down a marker for the rest of the campaign as Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho do battle once again and ESPN FC bloggers Tom Adams (Arsenal) and Mark Worrall (Chelsea) take us through what to expect.

How's your summer been so far compared to Sunday's opponents?

Tom Adams: Let's put it this way: win on Saturday and Barcelona's reign as Europe's...

That's more difficult, because you can't solve that problem overnight in the transfer market. Becoming a leader is generally a gradual progression, a quality that comes with experience at a club after years spent earning the respect of your peers.